I listened to last night's debate rather than watching it. Despite the good reviews for his first half-hour, I thought McCain was a goner after 10 minutes. He flailed at talking points with an unmistakable desperation. Obama talked past him. I think he's known since the nomination that he was going to win. He's already started to condition the parameters of his administration. I believe he's been playing with McCain in the debates. Deliberately bickering both to force errors and to lower expectations among the American people. He hasn't been telling people he's a regular guy, he has been telling them he's a regular politician. I like that because it suggests depth, courage and a certain audacity. Unlike most, Obama's need to succeed is perfectly clear and explicable without neurosis. One of the great things about America is that troubled times have produced its best rather than its worst leaders. We all need for the US to have a good leader now.
